Nudge

High Expectations

Upon leaving graduate school, I experienced one of those episodes that you always hope won’t happen after earning a college degree. The inability to secure work that aligns with your profession. If it’s happened to you, you’ll understand the looks from family and friends that seem to hint that the forecasts of greatness have eluded you despite the huge investments of time. And of money.

There I was, with a Master’s degree in hand, and within reach of the doctorate. But I was working in an Operating Room. I had been there before. A total of about five years had been spent in one OR or another. And after undergrad and grad school, it was the last place I had expected to land. You don’t always get what you want. But in many ways, I did get what I needed.

Back In the OR, again

There is something deeply rooted about work in the operating room. You don’t make silly mistakes, and continue working in one. In many ways, it reminds me of martial arts. It may be a routine case, you may look relaxed, but you are always centered. shit can happen in an instant and someones life can depend on your reaction. A vortex of tragedy originates with one misstep.

About this point, you are saying that leadership in these situations must be an incredibly tense deal. I guess it can. But when you watch a good OR supervisor, you’ll note an individual just continually walking about, from one operating room to another, “Everything alright? Do you have everything you need? Yes, Doctor Smuckright, those sutures are on order.” It’s a brand of called Management By Walking About. The interesting thing about it is that after a while, all the techs and nurses emulate it. It’s how you keep things running smoothly.

Back in the office, the big boss is on the phone with an istrument company about them sending someone out to repair the Transhomeopthizer 4000 that’s been on the blink for a week. Docker Tarbethian is screaming that he needs it, NOW! But even as she mashes that phone against her ear, her eye is on the orderly transporting a patient in the hallway. She knocks on the window and points to where a catheter hangs perilously close to a wheel, He may not be able to hear her gravely admonition, but he fixes the problem right away. Back in the office, she finishes her call and heads out to check on the new hire, Lou Carreras. He’s rusty on a lot of things…will he work out?

The Model

It’s a good model of leadership. It’s distributed, everyone not only does their job, but looks to correct lapses before, or as soon as they happen. Leadership is by walking about. You are a follower, but you also lead. You know that you can depend on your team to catch you, and in turn, you support them.

When I left the OR for professional work as an applied anthropologist I carried the model with me into those jobs.